News & Op-Ed Commentary from The People's Republic of Moscow (Idaho)

100 years ago in Spokane: Spanish Flu Outbreak

I’ve always been intrigued by the Spanish Flu outbreak of 1918. Of those who contracted the flu, 20% died. 50-100 million died worldwide — about 5% of the entire world’s population, over the course of a year.

This happened during WWI, and the massive troop movements likely led to the spread and hastening of the pandemic.

“Young people and others who attend dances should be exceedingly careful in selection of proper clothing to fit weather conditions,” he said. “After dancing, keep out of drafts and have coats or wraps handy to wear after becoming heated.”

The Spanish flu was not totally vanquished – there were still a few new cases and some deaths – but the worst was long past. Anderson said the current situation was “satisfactory” but the flu would probably linger until summer.

The Spanish flu epidemic was by no means over. Three more people died, bringing the flu death total to 16 for the week, and 457 altogether.One of the victims was a 10-year-old, who became the third in his family to die.Despite this, the city health office said the increase was “not sufficient to cause alarm.”

The flu situation still was improving, but people were not exactly dancing with joy.In fact, the ban on public dances remained in effect. City health officer Dr. J.B. Anderson said he would not lift the dance ban until he could make further study of local conditions.Anderson was nervous about an uptick in the Spanish flu in Seattle and other cities, and he wanted to remain cautious. In general, however, he said he was “well satisfied with conditions in Spokane at present.”

The Spokane Daily Chronicle’s editorial page noted that some critics had complained about Spokane’s flu quarantine by saying, “New York City didn’t close the churches, schools and theaters because of the flu. And look at New York.”Those people weren’t saying that any more.The annual death statistics were out, and they told a grim story for New York. That city’s death rate jumped in one year from 15.2 per thousand to 18.8, an increase of 3.6 in 1918.Spokane’s death rate went from 8.09 to 10.23, an increase of 2.14.“To make it a little plainer: If Spokane had followed New York’s plan with New York’s results, among 120,000 people there would be 175 more graves in the city’s cemeteries than there are today,” said the editorial.

Spokane residents were no longer restricted by the seven-week-long ban on public gatherings and were ready to join together in song and dance. Everyone assumed that Spokane had weathered the worst of the Spanish flu epidemic. They were wrong.